J&K delimitation: NC for impartial process, NPP seeks more Jammu seats

JAMMU: Two days after the Centre set up a Delimitation Commission to fix boundaries of the Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference on Sunday said the exercise should be conducted impartially, while the National Panthers Party advocated for more seats in Jammu region.

“Our party believes in democracy and upholding democratic values. Though the delimitation was supposed to take place in 2026, the process has been initiated and we do not have any objection to it,” NC provincial president Devender Rana said. He, however, added that the exercise should be carried out as per law and in an impartial manner to benefit people who are the real fountainhead of a democracy.

The government on Friday constituted a Delimitation Commission, to be headed by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai to fix boundaries of the Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies of J&K and the northeastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.

Delimitation is the process of fixing boundaries of legislative bodies in the country.

According to section 60 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, “...the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall be increased from 107 to 114....”

Out of these 24 seats are in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. So effectively, the seats will go up from 83 to 90.

Referring to the initiation of the process, JKNPP chairman and former J&K minister Harsh Dev Singh on Sunday said it would be meaningful only if the assembly and Parliament seats f o r J a mmu r e g i o n we r e increased.

“While Jammu with a geographical area of 26,293 square kms is assigned 37 Assembly seats, 46 seats in the assembly had been allocated to Kashmir region with an area of 15,953 square kilometers,” Singh pointed out.